


Tales from Retail

by Infiniteplums



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Reader-Insert, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-05 17:02:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18832924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Infiniteplums/pseuds/Infiniteplums
Summary: Welcome to working at the local mall. You never know what (or who) you'll run into.





	Tales from Retail

Wednesday night shifts were always the worst. Not only was the mall eerily empty, but the people who worked before you always managed to make the small candle store you worked in look like a war zone. It was always the same routine: you got in, cleaned up their mess, and waited behind the register for the customers you knew wouldn’t come in. As soon as 9:00 hit, you closed the door and went home, knowing you’d repeat the same routine the next night. 

Tonight, you found yourself standing on the small ladder, trying to figure out exactly how they managed to flip all of the jars on the top shelf upside down, when you heard the front door open. “Welcome to the Scentporium! If you need any help, I’ll be down from here in a second.” You called down, briefly glancing over at the customer, who kindly told you to take your time. He appeared to be in some form of uniform, which, to be honest, wasn’t the strangest thing you’ve seen come through the door. After stacking the last of the jars, you climbed down and went to check on the gentleman who looked vaguely familiar. 

“That whole collection is inspired by books.” You say as you gesture to the cabinet he’s standing in front of. “Song of Ice and Fire is one of my favorites. You get the spice of the cinnamon mixed with the peppermint, and it just fills the room. So, so good.” You finish, overdramatically sighing to show just how much you like the candle. Fortunately, the small chuckle the man lets out shows that your attempt at comedy was successful. “But enough about me. Shopping for anything in particular?”

He nods. “Something to cover up the smell of burning?” He asks, rubbing the back of his neck like he’s almost embarrassed. “I live with people who don’t exactly know how to cook.” You nod and turn back to the shelf, pulling a few different colored jars down to the counter. He smells each one as you narrate, talking about the different scents and inspirations. You laugh as he starts to enthusiastically debate you on whether or not the retro candles actually smell like the 1940s (he’s adamant that it was more bitter). 

You let your curiosity get the best of you as you start to ring him out. “Let me guess, the outfit’s for one of those charity groups that visits kids in the hospital, right?” you ask, gesturing to what you now recognize as Captain America’s getup. He hesitates, but nods. “Something like that.” “I’m sure they loved seeing you there.” You hand him the bag and his receipt. “Well, Cap, it was a pleasure meeting you.” He offers a small smile. “Steve. My actual name is Steve.” “Well, Steve, enjoy the candle, and don’t be a stranger around here.” He nods and turns back to the door, offering a small wave before leaving. 

You glanced up at the clock behind the register and saw that Steve helped you pass a good portion of your shift. With everything as cleaned up as it was getting, you decided to scroll through Facebook. A lot of people were sharing photos and articles of the Avengers at some press conference, and you had to chuckle when you saw Captain America in the line-up. It was almost eerie how close Steve looked to the real man, but you could pick up on a few differences. Plus, Steve didn’t seem to have a helmet of any kind when he came in, so you were sure his appearance was just a case of freakishly perfect timing.


End file.
